Education Abroad

Majors and minors in French and Francophone Studies are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to spend a year or a semester studying in France or another francophone country. The program sponsors an exchange agreement with Université Paris Diderot – Paris 7, located in the newly redeveloped Paris Rive Gauche neighborhood in the 13th arrondissement, near the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand. Formerly located on the Jussieu campus, Paris Diderot completed its move in 2012 to the new campus, which features sleekly modern steel-and-glass construction mixed with renovated pre-war industrial architecture. Students are directly enrolled in courses with French students in a wide variety of fields in the humanities, sciences and social sciences. French language courses for foreign students are also available, as are teaching internships in local secondary schools. Before classes begin, students participate in a two-week stage, or orientation program, to introduce them to the campus and teaching system. Housing options include local host families, student residences and shared apartments. For more information, see the Paris Diderot program brochure on the International Programs Office (IPO) website.

In addition to the program at Paris Diderot, UMass sponsors an exchange with Université Paris Dauphine – Paris 9, for students with business and technology-related interests. For students with less experience in French, programs in French Language and Culture at the Institut Catholique de Paris are available. In addition to our programs in Paris, UMass maintains a long-standing relationship with the University of Minnesota’s Study Abroad Program in Montpellier. Programs in several other French cities are also an option, as well as programs in other French-speaking countries. Consult the Education Abroad Office at IPO for further information.